US1077536A

US1077536A - Acoustical instrument.

Info

Publication number: US1077536A
Application number: US622213A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis Lumiere
Original assignee: Victor Talking Machine Co
Current assignee: Victor Talking Machine Co
Priority date: 1910-05-18
Filing date: 1911-04-20
Publication date: 1913-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1930-11-04

Description

' "L. LUMIE-RB, I AGOUSTIUAL INSTRUMENT; APPLIOATIOK FILED APB.. 20, 1911.

1 ,077,536@ Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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WITNESSES I UNITED sra rns PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS LUMIERE, F LYON, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR 'I'O VICTOR TALKING MACHINE COMPANY,

OF CAMDEN, NEVJ JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ACOUSTICAL INSTRUMENT.

Original application filed May 18, 1910,

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that' I, LOUIS LUMIERE, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Lyon, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements division of a prior 18, 1910, Serial microphones, stethoscopes, talking machines,

musical instruments, and in general any instrument used for the reception or transmission of sounds. I

The invention consists in a certain construction of sound box for such instruments, the details of which will be given below.

The essential features of the invention are an extensible chamber with a stationary wall, a movable wall adapted to be reciproeated toward and away from the stationary wall, and means between the two walls for preventing the escape of air between them but allowing perfect freedom of the movable wall to move in unchanged form and to any extent that may be practically required; According to this invention a sound box for acoustical instruments is obtained comprising a stationary wall, having an opening therein for the passage of the sound waves,

,a movable wall adapted to be reci 'n'ocated f toward and away from the stationary wall,

and means between the edges of the movable wall and the stationary wall to prevent the escape of air between them, such means, however, leaving the movable wall free to move as a whole in substantially unchanged form to any extent that may practically be reouired,. and offering substantially no resistance to the movement of the movable wall whatever the position of the latter with regard to the stationary wall, so that the position and movement of the movable wall is regulated entirely by the soundwaves or means through which the movable wall is reciprocated. Further, according to this invention the whole of oneside of the extensible chamber moves, and not merely the central portion thereof, thus producing a more effective reproduction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4., 1913.

Serial No. 581,928. Divided and this application filed April 20, Serial No. 622,213.

In the accompanying drawings the invention 1s lllustrated as applied to the sound box of a talking machine.

Figure l is a sectional elevational view ofvone construction of sound box embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the movable member shown in Fig.- l and Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of a modified form of the movable member stiffened by suitable corrugations.

The sound boxes which are usually .employed in talking machines and many other acoustical instruments are at present constructed with a chamber closed upon'one side by means of a thin diaphragm held-at its edges. This diaphragm, which may be of glass, mica, metal or other suitable material, is set in vibration in the case of talking machines by means of a suitable transmitting device connecting it with the needle or sapphire, which follows the groove in thedisk or cylinder carrying the phonogra-m. In

this arrangement, certain efiects due to the elasticity of the diaphra m and theformationof nodal lines ren er unnatural the quality of the sound obtained and limit the practical dimensions of the apparatus. The sound box forming the subject of this invention does not present these object-ions, con sisting asit does of an extensible chamber closed upon its two opposite sides by rigid walls which can approach or recede from one another. In the form of my invention illustrated in the figures of the drawings, the rigid-walls are mounted to slide one within the other, similar to a piston and the space between the two walls so telescopically mounted is closed by a packing g, of any suitable material.

Under the action of the stylus following the phonographic sound line, the said walls are caused to approach or recede from one another, and these movements produce variations of the pressure of the air within the sound box. It is these variations which are the essential cause of'the production of sound. The interior of the sound box so constructed may be connected to an amplify- 'ing born as in other well known a paratus.

In the figures of the drawings oi this application is illustrated a construction in which the rigid sides a and b of the sound box are connected together by means of a packing g preferably consisting of a rubber ring adapted to roll between the cylindrical telescoping surfaces of the two sides a and b. The side a is stationary, its mass being sufficient to give it considerable inertia, relative to the movable partsof the sound box. The side 7, on the other hand, is very light, and

is connected with the stylus 0 by means of the" stvlus bar n which amplifies the movement of the stylu The interior of the sound box connects with the amplifying horn of the talking machine through the opening f. The packing is so mounted and arranged as to be adapted to rollbetween the cylindrical surfaces of the two sides a and Z), and is made to lie lightly between the two said telescoping surfaces, so as'to be only just in Contact therewith and at the same time etiect a complete closure. The friction between the said rubber ring and contacting surfaces is reduced to a minimum, owing to the rolling action of the rubber ring between the two surfaces when the movable side 2 moves with respect to the relatively stationary side or wall a. Moreover, the resistance to be over come is practically constant whatever the extent of the movement of the movable wall I). It is evident that any other system of movable joint offering no appreciable resistance may be employed for attaining the same desired end.

In order to obtain simultaneously sufficient rigidity and lightness in the movable side 7), so that it will reciprocate in practically unchanged form, it is found desirable to construct this side of very thin metal and to render it rigid by stamping it out in some such form. 7

In Fig. 3 the side or movable wall I), .is shown as being stamped out of sheet metal with radial corrugations h, in order to stiilcn it. thus providing a relatively rigid mo able wall or section b, so that the entire movement. of the upper end of the stylus (I will be communicated to the movable wall 7) and will operate to faithfully move the member 1) without absorbing any of the said motion by any yielding or springing of the vertical face of the member I).

It is to be notedthat while I have illustrated the massive side a as substantially cylindrical in shape, and the movable side 6, also cylindrical, it is of course to be understood that the two said parts may be'given any suitable shape in cross section so longas the two will, properly slide over each other or move longitudinally of the axis of the sound box, relative to each other.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is: t

1. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a movable wall and .a solid yielding annular packing arranged to roll between said ,wall r 2. A sound box for acoustical instruments comprising a wall, a diaphragm telescoping with said wall, and a packing arranged to roll between said wall and said diaphragn'i and rotated by the vibration of said diaphragm, and free to respond to all vibrations imposed.

3. A sound box for acoustical instruments comprising a wall and a diaphragm telescoping with said wall, and a yielding packing arranged to roll between said wall and said diaphragm and free to be rotated by the vibration of said diaphragm.

4. A, sound box, comprising a cylindrical stationary wall, a movable wall, and a packing arranged to roll between said walls, and maintain a constant diameter.

' 5. A sound box, comprising a cylindrical stationary wall, a movable wall, and a packing arranged to roll between said walls, the movement of the packing being substantially one-half that of the movable wall.

6. A sound box, comprising a stationary wall, a movable wall, and an annular packing arranged to roll between said walls.

7. A sound box for acoustical instruments, comprising a wall, a diaphragm embracing said wall, and packing interposed between said wall and diaphragm, free to roll and permit the entire diaphragm to pulsate uniformly.

8. A sound box for acoustical instruments, having a rigid wall, and a movable diaphragm having av flange embracing the edges of said wall, and a packing arranged to roll between said wall and diaphragm, and 'free to be rotated by the vibration of said diaphragm. I

9. A sound box comprising acylindrical stationary wall. a diaphragm, and a packing arranged to roll between said wall and said diaphragm, said diaphragm being comparatively rigid and capable of being vibrated as a whole in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the diaphragm.

10. A sound box comprising a stationary wall. amovable wall, and a solid annular packing surrounding. one of said walls and surrounded by the other of said walls and arranged tp roll between said walls. I

11. A sound box comprising a stationary walha movable wall and a solid annular packing arranged to roll between said walls.

12. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a movable wall and a solid yielding packing arranged to roll betweensaid walls.

13. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a vibratory diaphragm provided with a cylindrical wall telescoping with said first mentioned wall, and a solid annular packing arranged to roll between and in contact;

with said walls. i

14. -A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided with a cylindrical'wall, telescoping with said first mentioned wall, and a yielding solid annular packing arranged to roll between andin contact with said walls.

15. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided with a cylindrical wall, the vibration of said diaphragm causing a relative telescopic movement between said walls, and a yielding annular solid packing substantially circular in transverse section between andcontacting with said'cylindrical walls.

16. A sound box comprising a cylindrical relatively stationary wall, a comparatively rigid diaphragm provided with a marginal cylindrical wall, telescoping with said first mentioned cylindrical wall, and a yielding solid annular packing substantially circular in transverse section arranged to roll between and in contact with said cylindrical walls.

17. A sound box comprising a comparatively stationary member, a movable diaphragm provided with a flange telescopically movable with respect to said stationary member, and attaching means arranged between said flange and said stationary member to permit the vibration telescopically of said flange with respect to said stationary member;

18. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a comparatively rigid movable Wall vibratory as a whole, and solid packing means arranged to roll between said Walls.

19. A sound box comprising a stationary contact with said walls.

20. A sound box comprising a stationary wall, a movable comparatively rigid wall, vibratory as a whole, solid packing means arranged to roll between said walls, and means to vibrate said movable wall in accordance with a sound record.

21. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided with a cylindrical wall, the vibration of said diaphragm being operative to cause said last-named wall to vibrate telescopically with respect to said first-named wall, and a packing between and contacting substantially tangentially with said walls.

22. A sound box comprising a cylindrical wall, a diaphragm provided with a cylindrical wall, the vibration of said diaphragm being operative to cause said last-named wall to vibrate telescopically with respect to said first-named wall, and a packingbe tween and contacting substantially tangentially with said'walls, said packing being circular in cross section.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27 day-of March A. D. 1911-.

LOUIS LUMIERE.

Witnesses:

GASTON JEANVIAUX, MARIN VACHONS.